Author Archive



Holidays On Ice

Mary Franklin | December 24, 2012

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December 25th – provided that the world has not ended per the Mayan calendar – I’ll be flying to Hoth.

More specifically, I’ll be flying to Cordova, Alaska for the holidays, where I used to live before I came to work at Lucasfilm. It will be dark and cold and icy, and some of my dearest friends will be there. Somehow my Alaska friends carry on at full speed no matter how far the mercury drops down or the snow piles up. I used to be president of ye old Star Wars Online Fan Club when I lived there – a long time ago before StarWars.com was even born yet.

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Bantha Tracks Art Galaxy, December 2012

Mary Franklin | December 21, 2012

batha_trx_art_galaxy

Bantha Tracks, the newsletter that has been “By the Fans; For the Fans” since it was reintroduced 10 years ago in 2002, receives contributions of Star Wars art from fans of all ages. We wanted to share submissions here as well as in Star Wars Insider magazine, where Bantha Tracks is a regular feature. Thus, we’re happy to present Bantha Tracks Art Galaxy, a new series on the Star Wars Blog showcasing even more exclusive fan art.

To submit your art, photographs, and Star Wars fan stories to Bantha Tracks, follow the submission guidelines at the bottom of this post. But first: art!

A striking original Darth Maul piece by artist Bill Pulkovski.

A striking original Darth Maul piece by artist Bill Pulkovski.

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Celebration Europe… 2007

Mary Franklin | November 27, 2012

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It’s hard for me to believe that the first Star Wars Celebration Europe was almost six years ago. Maybe that disbelief is simply a product of how long I’ve worked on Celebrations – I sure as Sith won’t admit it’s a product of my age – but it is incredible to think that it’s been so long since we produced the show for the very first time outside of the U.S.

That show was not only the first Celebration outside North America, but also a first for some other notable memories.

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Celebration Europe: The Great Building Game Begins!

Mary Franklin | November 13, 2012

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Yesterday, for a good part of the day, I took over one of our big conference room tables here at Lucasfilm and started playing a big puzzle game with the floorplan of the Messe Essen in Germany.

My task: To look over all kinds of different ways to pack as much fun and excitement into our space as possible. Star Wars Celebration Europe next summer will be the biggest Star Wars event ever in Germany, and we want to make sure all the very best in Star Wars fits in the best possible way.

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Report from the Star Wars Celebration Europe II Tour

Mary Franklin | October 30, 2012

Belgians_ForBlog

After meeting with Star Wars fans in London, Germany, and Belgium over the past two weeks, I’m once again awed and inspired by the creativity (and organization!) of the fan community.

In prepping for Celebration Europe II, I was also able to spend quality time in the Essen convention center (Messe Essen) with some colleagues from Lucasfilm and our counterparts at ReedPOP. We considered possible floor plans, went over the audio/visual and other technical details, and eyed up some spaces for possible evening events.

This solid planning, plus the fact that tickets will go on sale very soon at www.starwarscelebration.eu, makes me feel like we are well underway to an exciting event next July.

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Celebration Europe: A True Force of Fans

Mary Franklin | October 16, 2012

Celebration_Europe_Final_LogoI’ve been back in the States from my Namibia trip barely one week, and tomorrow morning I’m taking off to work at Brand Licensing Europe in London. I’ll be in London for the week, then will travel on to Essen, Germany for Celebration Europe meetings, then finally take a too-quick trip to Belgium and the fabled fan-built Star Wars prop warehouse.

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Messe Essen, Here We Come

Mary Franklin | October 3, 2012

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When this blog is posted, I’ll (hopefully) be almost ready to head back to the States after a little R&R (riding and refocusing) in Namibia.

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Star Wars Celebration Blues

Mary Franklin | September 17, 2012

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The time leading up to each Star Wars Celebration is an incredible adrenaline buzz, for me and I’m sure for hundreds of other people who are involved in the show – getting ready for the stages, finishing their fan exhibit, or completing their costume for the masquerade. There is so much to do that it’s the main focus of life – of my life certainly.

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SWCVI: What I Want to Do, Part Two

Mary Franklin | August 21, 2012

If I were enjoying Celebration as an attendee rather than enjoying it as a worker, here’s what I would do after I took Joel Aron’s photography class (discussed in my previous blog, Part One).

Build Some Tatooine

Tusken Hut

Tusken Hut

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SWCVI: What I Want to Do, Part One

Mary Franklin | August 20, 2012
Mary Franklin Self Portrait

Mary Franklin Self Portrait

Each Celebration, while working on the programming for the show, I come up with a mental list of what I would do if I were coming to the show as an attendee rather than as part of the production.

Don’t get me wrong – what I do is really fun. I can’t think of any job I would rather do, nor really of anything I would rather do than be behind the scenes at a Celebration. But if I could sneak away from responsibility for a bit here’s where I would go:

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